Youth Football Season Canceled after Parent Shoots Coach 

St. Louis, MO (WorkersCompensation.com) -- The coach of a youth football team was hospitalized Oct. 10 after a parent got upset that he didn’t chose his son as a starter for the team.  

Police in St. Louis said they were called to a youth football practice at Sherman Park in north St. Louis, where the Bad Boyz Team was practicing. When they arrived, they found the team’s coach, Shaquille Latimore, on the ground near the football field with multiple gunshot wounds. Police said Daryl Brian Clemmons had approached Latimore to discuss his son. According to court records, Clemmons was upset that his son was not a starter for the team.  

That discussion escalated, police said, when Clemmons allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Latimore multiple times. Latimore sustained “serious physical injury”, police said. He was shot four times and grazed once. The coach was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.  

Clemmons was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, court records indicate. He was ordered to be held without bail until his trial, officials said.  

As a result of the incident, the team canceled the rest of its season.  

Latimore said he is recovering.  

“I still have bullet fragments in my body, I can still feel it, but by the grace of God man, I’m blessed and I’m still here,” he told the KSDK. 

He said while he is ready to spend time with his family as he recovers, he is looking forward to talking to his team.  

“I love those kids. I want to tell them to keep their heads up. This is what a fighter looks like,” he told the news station. 

He also said he is disappointed by the city’s decision to suspend his team from the City Rec Legends Football League organized by St. Louis’ Recreation Department  

“I don’t know why they did that really. Our team is one of the best teams in that league,” he said.  

But the city said the decision comes after more than just the shooting.  

“After a series of incidents perpetuated by adults which culminated in Tuesday’s (Oct. 10) shooting, the Recreation Division decided to suspend the team’s participation in the CityRec Legends Football league,” St. Louis city government spokesperson Nick Dunne said. “League rules are in place to ensure the protection of our youth participants, ages 5 to 13, and we will continue to uphold the rules to ensure this football season is safe and successful.” 

The incident comes on the heels of other violent acts against coaches and umpires during sports events.  

In April, the parent of a Kissimiee, Fla., baseball player punched an umpire in the head during a Liberty High School game. The parent, 41-year-old Jorge Ignacio Aponte-Gonzalez, said he  was “defending his kid” after the umpire addressed the player.  

However, video from the attack showed Aponte-Gonzalez punching the umpire in the face. According to court records, one of the players had been arguing with the umpire leading up to the attack.  

“The kid was being disruptive, so the umpire’s like, ‘Hey, tone it down,’ maintaining control,” Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at a news briefing. “They went back and forth a little bit. I don’t know exactly what was exchanged, but... that is what upset the father.” 

Lopez said he was unsure of the umpire’s injuries and added that parents should not be acting like this in public.  

“He’ll get his just reward for his nasty behavior,” the sheriff said. “Sometimes adults act worse than kids.” 

Aponte-Gonzalez was charged with battery on a sports officials and disruption of a school function. 

And in Ohio, a man was charged with assault after he hit an umpire in the face at an adult-league softball game, officials said.  

Video footage at Columbus, Ohio’s Berliner Park showed player Gregory Roudabush engage in a verbal altercation with umpire Wiley Butler. Roudabush then approached Butler, the video shows, and punched him in the face. Roudabush later slammed Butler to the ground before other players could intervene.  

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said Roudabush was charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault and fourth-degree disorderly conduct following the incident. The city also banned Roudabush from participating in future leagues.  

Share This Article: